Word/Excel97 - Error Message (SR2)

Both Word and Excel97 show the following error screen on opening and closing: "MS Visual Basic - Compile Error in Hidden Module - AutoExec". I tried uninstalling and then reinstalling Office Pro97 but the error message is till there. Can anyone help?

Re: Word/Excel97 - Error Message (SR2)

Hi Alan,

Sice it's happening to both Word and Excel it's possible that a 3rd party add-in is causing the problem.

In Word take a look under Tools/Templates and Add-Ins and see if there are any global templates or add-ins listed. If so they are located in your WordStartup folder. If more than one, move them one at a time until you determine which one is causing the problem. The location of the WordStartup folder can be found under Tools/Options/File Locations.

For Excel see if any files are listed in the XLStart folder (other than mscreate.dir). Also check Tools/Options/General and see if an alternate Startup folder has been specified.

If you do not know what to do with the add-ins (if found) post back with the file names and we'll assist from there.
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Cheers! <img src=/S/smile.gif border=0 alt=smile width=15 height=15>

Re: Word/Excel97 - Error Message (SR2)

Hi Alan,

There has been a recent "outbreak" of PDFMaker.dot causing problems in the Office apps. So far I haven't heard/determined why but I suspect the current versions are not compatible with the version of Office that is installed. For example it may have been written for Office 2000 and using an event/command that Office 97 doesn't recognize. The error also occurs in Office XP so it could just be an error in their code.

Anyway, that is the root of your problem.

If Word has been hanging or crashing on you then the temp file called the Owner file has been left behind and is not permitting you to delete the file itself.

The Owner file is created. This temporary file holds the Name of the user found in Tools/Options/User Information that opened the file. In normal circumstances, this temporary file is deleted when the document is
closed.

The Owner file is stored in the same location as the document, it is aHidden file, and uses the following naming convention: ~$Name.do?

So first you need to do a little housekeeping:
* Exit Word and Outlook if you are using it as your email editor
* Go to Start/Find/Files or Folders
* Change "Look in" to reflect the drive you are working on. Typically this is C:
* In the Named text box, type ~$*.do?
* Click the "Find Now" command
* Delete the Owner files you find

Note that these can be deleted directly from the Find Results.

To group the files for a single deletion:
* Click the first file in the list
* Press and hold <Shift>
* Click the last file in the list.

As an additional note, the Owner file is just one of the many temporary files Word creates. If you have been experiencing multiple crashes or if Word has been hanging on you then it is best to search for all temp (*.tmp) and twiddle files (~$*.do?) and delete them.